Essay on the origin, progress, and present state of galvanism. Containing investigations, experimental and speculative, of the principal doctrines offered for the explanation of its phenomena, and a statement of a new hypothesis / [Michael Donovan].

  • Donovan, Michael, -1876
Date:
1816
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Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Essay on the origin, progress, and present state of galvanism. Containing investigations, experimental and speculative, of the principal doctrines offered for the explanation of its phenomena, and a statement of a new hypothesis / [Michael Donovan]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    86/420 (page 64)
    ny. He found that, during the decomposition, both acid and alkali were produced ; the former lie judged to be muriatic, the latter ammonia.* The same result was shortly after announced by Professor Simon of Berlin.t The necessity of oxydation, or of some other chemical change, to the production of galvanic electricity, being now generally admitted, the hypothesis of Volta, in its original state, appeared under a doubtful point of view, and evidently required modification. The view proposed by Dr. Wollaston was now (1802) new model- led, and greatly extended by Dr. Bostock; and he applied it to the explanation of particular facts, as well as to the mode of action in general. He required the three following postulates : 1st. Electricity is always generated when an oxydable substance unites itself to oxygen, 2d. Electricity has a strong attraction to hy- drogen. 3d. When electricity, in passing along a chain of conductors, leaves an oxvdable substance, in order to be conveyed through water, it unites it- self to hydrogen, and from this it is again disen- gaged, when it returns to the oxydable con- ductor. The first he considered as almost proved by the experiments of Fabroni, Davy, and Wollas- ton. As to the claims of the second and third. * Annal. de Chim. tome 57* 281*. f Ibid, tome 41. 10?.